I love food and the argument about the best food is always a hot (no pun intended) and tasty (pun intended) one. Everyone has their favourite type of food - Mexican, Chinese, Greek, Japanese, Indian, Italian, the list goes on and on. I however, have thought long and hard about this and after a lot of consideration, I have come to the conclusion that the Hamburger is the greatest single food item of all.

You are stuck on a desert island forever.
For the rest of your life, you can eat one item and one item only.
What better food could you choose than the hamburger with the lot?
Not only combined is it a very tasty thing, but each part of the hamburger could be broken down and alone creates a new item.
Salad, bread, meat, cheese, bacon, egg.
Any number of combinations make different items that you would order on a menu.
Some examples:
Bacon and eggs
A salad
A salad sandwich
A BLT
A cheese and sandwich
A rissole

ARGUMENT 2: The food guide pyramid
The hamburger includes all of the food groups represented. With healthy eating in mind, it could even be made to include the groups in proportion.

ARGUMENT 3: Versatility
The format of the hamburger is very simple. A "Pattie" sandwiched between the top and bottom of a bun. Any number of condiments, salads, other ingredients and alternate patties make a million different types of burger. You could have a burger made quickly, slapped together at a barbecue or served with the best ingredients and slapped with a very exclusive prices, such as some of the burgers on this website: http://most-expensive.net...

ARGUMENT 4: The greatest item is perfectly complimented by the greatest side.
Fries.

My opponent poses a strange scenario about being stuck on a desert island and only having hamburgers to eat. I say if I was stuck on a desert island and only had hamburgers to eat, it would probably lead to my death anyways because then I will probably become obese, develop heart problems, and die anyways. A hamburger is also not an option if say the person on this island was a vegetarian, Hamburgers by google definition means

1. a sandwich consisting of a fried cake of minced beef served on a bun, often with other ingredients
2. ground beef: beef that has been ground

So the hamburger cannot be the greatest food item ever conceived by man if not everyone is ethically okay with eating meat.
In the documentary Super Size Me one man did try to eat only McDonalds for days and in the process showed how much negative effects there are when a person only consumes hamburgers and fries.

People only consuming hamburgers and fast foods of this sort has led to a wide spread of obesity. The Hamburger may be tasty to some but that tasty feeling has a price which is a person's health.

Chewing Gum Argument

The chewing gum is the greatest food item ever conceived by man because well you can eat it at anytime. It is really portable and lasts a long time. Chewing gum also fights cavities and makes the mouth smell a lot fresher. No animal is used to make the chewing gum so it is okay for everyone to eat.

When trying to impress a girl/guy
Because the chewing gum has such a breath changing effect it could help you more effectively pursue your other. Dirty mouth and bad breathe is a turn off and you will not be lucky if you just jammed a hamburger in your mouth and your breath smells like the end of a monkey.

Unexpected fun
Chewing gum offers a unintended entertainment to the mix because they could be blown into a big bubble which kids find very enjoyable. Chewing gum can also be accepted as "candy" and on occasions like Halloween can be giving to kids as a acceptable treat opposed to jamming a hamburger in a kids candy bucket.

Chewing gum does not hurt your health
Since chewing gum is rarely consumed it rarely hurts your health and contains very small amounts of calories unlike the burger where you can find some burgers like the "big Mac" containing over 1000 calories.

Variety
Gum comes in either sugar or sugar free and they have an unbelievably different assortments in flavors.

The hamburger is not the greatest food item ever conceived because it is not advised to eat a hamburger everyday. Gum is okay for any situation.

Well that was a much stronger argument for chewing gum than I thought it would be and I thank my opponent for his interesting insights, however:

COUNTER ARGUMENTS:

You've gotten your definition of the hamburger wrong, the pattie doesn't have to be fried at all. In fact, grilling is the standard way to cook a hamburger.

While I've used the meat hamburger for my example, if someone was a vegetarian, they could quite easily substitute the meat pattie for a vegetarian alternative. I personally like meat, but each to their own. If someone liked chicken better, they could easily substitute that as well.

I really enjoyed the documentary Super Size Me, but it is an extreme example of what I am talking about. Morgan Spurlock ate McDonald's. I am not saying that McDonald's is the greatest food in the world, but the hamburger. McDonald's hamburgers are very good, but I certainly wouldn't request them for my island example. I would definitely opt for a healthier burger.

All food must be eaten in moderation. Fast food is not the reason for obesity, but a terrible attitude towards food. A hamburger doesn't have to be a fast food, just as fast food doesn't have to be a hamburger. This however, is not the topic of the debate.

THE CHEWING GUM REBUTTAL:

Chewing gum can be eaten at "anytime", this is true, but it is often inappropriate and rude. Just think of Violet Beauregarde (1).

Only sugar-free chewing gum has any redeeming factors health wise, but the use of artificial sweeteners is questionable.

While you wouldn't want to rock up to a date with half a hamburger in your mouth, you likewise wouldn't make a good impression if you rocked up chewing a big wad of gum. However, it is quite acceptable to take a date to a restaurant and eat a hamburger (or a vegeburger if you or your date are that way inclined).

Finally, gum has no nutritional value. If you were stuck on an island with nothing but gum to eat you wouldn't last as long as me on my hamburger island. :)

CLOSING ARGUMENTS:

THE HEALTHY BURGER
Of course the humble burger in its many shapes and forms has its flaws. It is generally unhealthy, this is true. McDonald's and Burger King burgers are very unhealthy and I definitely wouldn't eat them more than occasionally. However, a burger COULD be healthy.
A wholemeal or sourdough bun.
A thin, well seasoned pattie made from high quality, lean mince grilled.
Lots of salad.
Light condiments and low fat cheese.
Sounds like something I could eat everyday.

SHEER POPULARITY
McDonald's(2), one of a multitude of fast-food restaurants sells burgers. Yet they serve 47 million customers daily. There is a reason for this. BURGERS ARE AWESOME! THEY ARE DELICIOUS! HOORAY FOR BURGERS! Ehem, sorry got a bit carried away.
But really, the statistics speak for themselves. Burgers are very popular all around the world.

THE SINGLE ITEM BIT
I honestly love hamburgers. They are not, however, my favourite food. I don't have one particular favourite food. The many foods cultures I listed in round one is just some of the foods I love to eat. One day I love Mexican and the next I love Italian.
The main thing is, the hamburger is a single item encompassing all the food groups. No other single item has so much diversity. One might argue that pasta does, but pasta alone is very plain, regardless of the shape. It is the variety of sauces that make it different. But each sauce is a different item, thus doesn't fall under the single item bracket as Lasagne for example, would.

The Hamburger and the veggieburger are not the same. Since your definition of a hamburger included the meat example I am assuming you are going to stick with the meat definition.
Definitions:
# a sandwich consisting of a fried cake of minced beef served on a bun, often with other ingredients
# ground beef: beef that has been ground

Keyword being "beef" in both definitions
Changing your argument to allow Veggieburger would make a completely different topic all together. The title does say that the "Hamburger" is the greatest food item. So by the exact definition of the hamburger it is not okay for a vegetarian to eat it.

If my opponent is talking about a grilled burger than I would say that the grilled burger is healthier than the fried burger found at the local fast food joints. But the grilled burger requires a lot of work to make first of all you would need a grill and barbecuing is really too much of a hassle to do if a person just experienced a very long and hard day. Many people find it more calming if they can just pop a piece of gum in to momentarily occupy their time instead of getting up and cooking.

My opponent again poses a description of his ideal burger but the definition of a hamburger is just a sandwich style bun with a piece of meat between it. "Lots of salad, Light condiment and low fat cheese" yes it would be a acceptable side to your hamburger but this is basically saying the hamburger ITSELF cannot be the greatest food it needs assistance from other food alternatives. Salad and cheese are two completely different food items entirely from the "Hamburger" itself.

"SHEER POPULARITY
McDonald's(2), one of a multitude of fast-food restaurants sells burgers. Yet they serve 47 million customers daily. There is a reason for this. BURGERS ARE AWESOME! THEY ARE DELICIOUS! HOORAY FOR BURGERS! Ehem, sorry got a bit carried away.
But really, the statistics speak for themselves. Burgers are very popular all around the world."

My opponent spent a good amount of time on his last argument saying how the Mcdonald's hamburger is not the type of burger he was describing. So if we are switching back to fried burgers or burgers in general than my argument for adult obesity still stands because my opponent has just commended the Mcdonald's burger by enthusiastically saying "BURGERS ARE AWESOME! THEY ARE DELICIOUS! HOORAY FOR BURGERS!" in his argument of describing how popular the Mcdonalds burger is. So the type of burger my opponent is trying to describe is still not clear.

THE SINGLE ITEM BIT argument
Again my opponent proves my point using pasta as an example the different sauces as quoted "It is the variety of sauces that make it different. But each sauce is a different item, thus doesn't fall under the single item bracket" Well my friend the burger extra cheese and salad parts fall under completely different categories as well.

Chewing Gum rebuttal arguments
Chewing gum can be eaten at "anytime", this is true, but it is often inappropriate and rude. Eating anything at inappropriate times can be rude. At a presentation if you just whoop out a burger it can be considered "rude" as well.

"Only sugar-free chewing gum has any redeeming factors health wise, but the use of artificial sweeteners is questionable." It will not have a drastic change or harmful effect on your body's health or mass as opposed to a hamburger.

"While you wouldn't want to rock up to a date with half a hamburger in your mouth, you likewise wouldn't make a good impression if you rocked up chewing a big wad of gum. However, it is quite acceptable to take a date to a restaurant and eat a hamburger (or a vegeburger if you or your date are that way inclined)."
Well if you took a girl to a club and things got really hot and heavy, you might start off with a kiss, the gum makes things easier and your breathe being fresh is not a turn off in the least bit. Many girls are really body conscious (Not being sexist just from experience with being at high school and having every girl thinking she fat please don't look bad on me for that) so going to a burger restaurant might not be the ideal place for a majority of girls since by sheer popularity when people hear hamburgers they automatically will think an unhealthy food item.

My opponent has already conceded to my points about the chewing gum which was they could be eaten anytime and that some gum fight cavities.